Daikon Radish Soup

Recipe: Daikon Radish Soup白萝卜汤

Serves: 2 - 3

Fennel seeds and black peppercorns give this simple daikon radish soup a unique flavor. Its aroma reminds me of my grandpa. He used to cook daikon radish soup with beef for us during rainy monsoon in year end, not always but once in a while, a similar taste to this recipe but I don't know if the ingredients he used are just this simple. We never get the chance to taste this soup after he passed away. May be my dad knows what are the ingredients, but I never ask him.

Ingredients

160g chicken bones (chicken, beef, pork, or mixed; I used chicken feet) 100g boneless pork or beef 230g daikon radish (peeled) 50g or ¼ to ½ of a sweet onion 1000ml water ¼ tsp. + 1/8 tsp. salt or to taste

Bouquet Garni 35 whole black peppercorns ¼ tsp. fennel seeds（小茴香） Garnish chopped spring onion 8 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves

Measurements: tsp. = teaspoon | TBSP = tablespoon

Preparation
1. Roughly crush peppercorns with the side of a knife. Put crushed peppercorns and fennel seeds into a tea / cofee filter bag. Set aside bouquet garni.	2. Peel daikon radish. Cut daikon radish into big chunks; straigh cut at one side and diagonal cut on the other side. Cut sweet onion into big chunks.	3. Prepare a big chunk of meat. Slice meat when soup is cooked later.
4. Blanch meat in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds, until it changes color.	5. Wash and rinse bones. Put bones and 1000ml water in a medium stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any scum or froth appears on the surface with a spoon.	6. Add blanched meat, bouquet garni, and sweet onion into stockpot. Bring to a boil again over high heat.
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes with lid on.	8. Add daikon radish and continue to cook for 2 hours 30 minutes over low heat, with lid on.	9. Season soup with salt to taste. Let simmer for 3 - 5 minutes over low heat. Then, turn off the heat.
10. Remove cilantro leaves from stem, discard stem. Chop spring onion. Fish out meat from soup and slice.	11. Put meat slices into serving bowl. Ladle soup into the bowl and garnish with chopped spring onion and cilantro leaves. Serve hot.